Play boules in the garden, swim in the natural pool and enjoy Monica’s wonderful cooking served with local wines at this village farmhouse

Steps from the sea in get-away-from-it-all scenery – half an hour’s walk from St Ives’ arty heart. Sleeps 4 with pull-out beds for 2 more

A sustainably-designed small, family-run eco hotel within a nature park by the sea in stunning Basque country. Great food too

Traditional beamed cottage, tucked in the hills, with views to distant beaches plus colourful gardens and a pool

It's steeped in history and a joy to visit. Explore the vast pistes of Les Portes du Soleil... return to log fires and house-party dinners

For wine lovers and foodies discovering the 'Tuscany of Bordeaux'. Elegance, serenity, history, and a delightfully epicurean hostess

A lovely big old farmhouse for gatherings of friends and family with your own indoor pool, sauna, gym and jacuzzi

Thatched cottage perfect for families; surfing at Croyde, walks on Exmoor, sunny barbecues in the garden and cosying up by the wood-burner

Fall in love with this riverside village, lost in a valley in lower Normandy, and this sunny house for couples or families

Fine contemporary interiors within this half-timbered hillside villa, built with natural materials and with a beautiful pool and jacuzzi

The inn is the hub of this thriving village in 'the blue remembered hills' with great food and super rooms - a Sawday's Community Champion

Come to discover the ancient history of Dornes in a spectacular riverside setting - one point of the famous 'Templar Triangle' of Portugal

Delightful little antique-filled cottage with large walled garden and an allotment near Versailles. Gardeners will be happy

A big, homely farmhouse on the Umbria/Tuscany border for family holidays filled with sunshine, outdoor frolics and good food

A lovely old house and rambling garden in a medieval village with a monumental château, 12th-century church and a good local restaurant

Ease into a slower way of life from this beautiful Tuscan farmhouse surrounded by vineyards in the valley below medieval Montepulciano

A beautiful house with Pyrenean views, generous hosts and wonderful hiking, biking and skiing nearby. A rare pearl

Beautiful light-filled eco-homes in Loch Lomond National Park – Scotland’s treasures are easily reached from here